GENEROSITY

 

John 8:12

Introduction

Jesus' declaration as being the light of the world in John 8:12 comes immediately after saving an adulterous woman from being stoned to death (John 8:1-11). At the point of death, life darkens most and is so felt by the woman. Her accusers believed they were so right to kill her for her actions with the aim of lighting up the society. Until they met the true Light of the world. The lawyers will say, "there's the spirit behind the letter in every law." When Jesus threw light on the 'spirit of the law of Moses' it opened their mind's eyes, they all realized how wrong they were to stone her, and therefore, "... they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He [Jesus] was left, with the woman in the center." John 8:9 (HCSB). Mostly those who are deemed to know in the society are the very ones in deep darkness. They need to experience Jesus, the Light of the world.

People of God, we cannot assume that by this time everyone has heard about Jesus therefore global mission ought to end. The true experience of Christ does not make us flash the light or be 'dum-sor' Christians. In any case, there are yet still large numbers of our population who have not received or opened their door for Christ in their lives. The global mission aims at them and must be carried out without delay.

The hymnist writes, 

Go, labor on; spend, and be spent;

Thy joy to do the Father’s will;

It is the way the Master went;

Should not the servant tread it still?

Stanza 5

Men die in darkness at your side,

Without a hope to cheer the tomb;

Take up the torch and wave it wide,

The torch that lights time’s thickest gloom.

Global Missions

The word mission comes from a Latin word that means "to send". Missio Dei - "God's own going forth … He is the Sender, Sent and Sending." This is actually a theological concept rather than a word in Bible. God the Father is the first missionary, sending the Son for our salvation. The Holy Spirit is sent to empower the church, which is the fourth missionary to go into the world. (John 20:21; Act 1:8)

According to missiologist David Bosch, if God is a “fountain of sending love,” then missions is about participating “in the movement of God’s love toward people.” We are privileged to be partakers of God's mission work. Let's grab it with gladness whiles funning the flame of zeal, love, and commitment to evangelism for every soul matters to God.

Global missions is what Christians do when they become the light of the world: the church joins God in the outreach, redemptive, empowering works toward all humanity on every square inch of our planet - that involve reflecting Christ as Light and proclaiming God's Kingdom, globally and locally. Global mission is our part to play in God's work of reconciling creation to Himself once and for all.

Why Global Missions Matter

One, it has to do with God's glory. Every human being is expected to bring glory to God in worship. Habakkuk 2:14 says, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord's glory, as the waters cover the sea." God spared the lives of the people in Nineveh when they turned from their sins and gave glory to God. Malachi puts it, "“For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations,” says Yahweh of Hosts." Malachi 1:11 (HCSB)

Child of God, for the sake of God's glory, we must rise up to intentional evangelism with our contemporary in mind.

Two, Jesus' compassion for the lost makes global mission our responsibility (Mark 6:34). He cared about children and would associate the Kingdom with them saying, “Let the little children come to Me. Don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14 (HCSB).  Jesus ministered to non-Jews as well: The Samaritan woman (John 4), the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter was sick (Mark 7:28), and a centurion whose beloved slave was at the point of death (Luke 7). All these and more show that the global mission has no discrimination - children, youth, adults, every race and tribe, male and female. Jesus even sent His disciples to do global missions (Matthew 10:1-20; Luke 10:1-20; Acts 1:3-8). Jesus commissioned us, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (HCSB)

If Christ walked on this path, should we the servants not tread it still?

Christians have the global mission at heart because it is the heartbeat of God. 

Christopher J.H. Wright says, “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for His church in the world ... Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission—God’s mission.”

As Christians, we must always remind ourselves of the task we need to execute responsibly. We are to be like fireflies in this dark world. Jesus said, "This Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come." Matthew 24:14 (HCSB). God is counting on us to spread the good news to every part of the globe for Christ's second coming. 

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana which is almost 200 years traces its root to the works of missionaries. They came and died yet others were still coming. We must not look at the difficulties we face today reaching to the world but have compassion for the dying souls and snatch them from the fire.

Conclusion

Beloved in Christ, I want you to know that you are part of something much bigger than yourself. Not only are you a Christian today because of past global missions, but you also have a role to play in the ongoing story of spreading the Gospel on the entire globe, whether you cross an entire ocean or just the street near you. Always remember that the global mission is our responsibility.